Portraits des Kerguelen

Presentation

Théo CHATEAUGIRON

France

Photographs

My name is Théo Châteaugiron, I am 29 years old and I am an engineer in ecology and an amateur photographer. I have always been fascinated by nature and more particularly by birds. It is therefore quite naturally that I decided to direct my professional project towards the world of the environment in 2015, by following studies in ecology supplemented by internships in ornithology. In parallel with this passion for nature, I started photography with a digital compact then a reflex bought with my teenage savings. My first photographs are mainly taken during hikes but also during trips during my study internships, in the United States and the Azores. Not having a telephoto lens, I then mainly take photos of landscapes and macro photography. It was in 2019, before my departure on a mission to the Kerguelen Islands, that I invested in professional photographic equipment. A formidable and enriching photographic adventure follows, which you will discover in the exhibition “Portraits des Kerguelen”.

Exposition

2023 13 | Maison de la Réserve – Site de Chantecoq

After a 15-month mission to the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) as an ornithologist during which I took numerous photographs, I carried out a selection process, allowing me to present to you today the photographic exhibition: “Portraits des Kerguelen”. The scientific mission entrusted to me in 2019 on this archipelago revolves around the monitoring of several species of birds, including the Great Albatross, the King Penguin and the Sub-Antarctic Skua, and two species of mammals: the Elephant South Sea, and the Kerguelen sea lion. This work involves surveying the black sand beaches, steep valleys and rocky cliffs of this archipelago at the end of the world, in all seasons, and under all weather conditions. It is in this incredible setting that I take thousands of shots of wildlife and such special landscapes, trying to capture the incessant crash of the wind, the cacophony of penguin colonies and the howl of the Great Albatross. Through this exhibition I hope to be able to convey to you a little of the intimacy of the Kerguelen Islands and its fauna, so mysterious and inaccessible.